


Lights Peeking Through The Blinds

by Bytes



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Ficlet Collection, M/M, Souyo Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24842608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bytes/pseuds/Bytes
Summary: A collection of ficlets for souyo week 2020! Each chapter is a separate entity for each prompt. Some are not explicitly souyo but do focus on their bond!
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 46
Kudos: 64
Collections: Souyoweek 2020





	1. Cloudy

Clouds overhead usually meant rain was soon to follow. After the events that took place with the world through the television screen, clouds had become something of an omen. It was tough unlearning old habits, Yu found himself still checking to see if anything would appear on the midnight channel. Of course, nothing ever did. But that didn’t stop the anxiety, that same anxiety he always felt when the forecast called for rain. It meant there wasn’t much time left to save whoever was trapped in the TV.

With a sigh, Yu set down the pencil he had been holding. He couldn’t focus on his studies this way. Music wasn’t working either. He needed something to calm himself down. The song quietly playing from his MP3 player switched to the next track; it was a song that Yosuke had shown him. _Yosuke_. Yes, nothing put his heart at ease as well as his partner. Just hearing his voice— his laugh was enough to brighten him up considerably.

Pausing the music and removing his headphones, Yu picked up his cellphone from where he’d set it aside hours earlier. There were few contacts in his phone, a majority of them being his friends back in Inaba. But Yosuke’s, dubbed ‘Partner’, was at the top of his list. He went to call him, putting the phone up to his ear and hearing the buzzing tone as he waited for Yosuke to pick up. Hopefully he was around.

A few buzzes later and there was a click, followed by a, “Partner! You caught me on my break. What’s up?”

“Oh, if you’re busy then I can call you later—

“Nah, I’ve got like fifteen minutes. Seriously, what’s up? ..You sound a little down.”

“Mm… sorry, I’m alright. You don’t have to worry. I just wanted to talk.”

“Partner. You know you can tell me anything, yeah?” He heard a shuffle— probably Yosuke shifting to sit at attention. He always sat up straight when someone was talking to him about something important, Yu could still picture it clearly.

“...Yeah. It’s really nothing big, it’s just cloudy here. Can’t help but feel anxious. Old habits.”

“I gotcha. I still can’t help but always check the forecast. Fog creeps me out more than it should now.”

“I wonder if it’ll always be like this,” Yu couldn’t help but think aloud.

“Who knows. But I’ll always have your back, Partner. I hope you know that.”

A smile tugged at Yu’s lips; warmth starting to flood into his chest and overcome the anxiety he had been feeling. “And I’ll always have yours…. Partner.”

On the other end there was a fit of coughing, followed by a wheeze. “Ack..! Guh…”

“Are you alright?”

“..Yeah… I just wasn’t prepared for you to say that. Warn me next time!”

“Sorry,” Yu replied warmly, a soft laugh bubbling out of him. He didn’t often call Yosuke ‘Partner’ aloud. If it would elicit this kind of reaction every time, perhaps he’d have to use it more often.

“You totally aren’t.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“Asshole…” Yosuke sighed. Yu could picture him shaking his head in exasperation. “...Things are quiet here without you, Yu.”

“Mm. I’ll come and visit as soon as I can.”

“You better. Oh shit, it’s already been ten minutes?! Sorry Partner, my break is about to be over.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to take up your whole break.”

“No, no… I’m glad you did. I’ll call you when I get off, okay?”

“I’m looking forward to it, then.”

“Heh. Talk to you later, Partner.”

“Thanks, Yosuke.”

He could just barely make out an embarrassed huff before Yosuke hung up. Yu leaned back in his chair and smiled, feeling much more at peace now. The anxiety wasn’t gone, but he wasn’t alone.

His phone buzzed in his hand, the screen illuminating to show he had one new text message.

 _Anytime_.


	2. Yosuke’s Birthday

When you get older, birthdays aren’t nearly as fun and exciting. Certainly not for Yosuke, anyway. Back in the city, his old friends didn’t care enough to celebrate aside from hanging out or something, but now he had real friends in Inaba. Perhaps things would be different this year, but he’d long since learned not to expect much. Birthdays were mostly just for verbal congratulations.

As the date grew closer, Yosuke only really mentioned his birthday to Yu and that was just because he asked if he had plans for the next few weekends. After that, he said nothing more. And none of the other investigation team members said anything about it either.

Not even when the day came. Aside from Teddie, who had told him happy birthday after his parents did so. Teddie didn’t really understand birthdays, but he seemed excited enough. He was always excited though.

No one acknowledged the occasion when he arrived at school either. Was it selfish to want to hear a simple ‘happy birthday’ from his friends? Perhaps they truly didn’t know. Yu did, but he didn’t say a thing about it when Yosuke walked in the classroom and greeted him.

As the day progressed, Yosuke felt himself grow more and more bummed out. He’d even requested off from work in case his friends wanted to do something, but it looked like that wasn’t happening. He supposed he’d just head home and listen to music because at least he didn’t have to work.

“Yosuke,” came Yu’s calm, smooth voice once school had ended for the day and people begun to pack their things.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, what’s up partner?” the copper haired teen asked, having been too deep in thought to notice immediately.

“Let’s go somewhere after school. Are you free today?”

Yosuke quirked a brow and nodded. “I guess I am. Where do you wanna go?”

“Mm… we could get something to eat at the food court if you want.”

“Sure.” Looks like he would be spending his birthday partially at Junes anyway.

The walk over to the large store was mostly quiet aside from some small talk about school and summer plans. In the elevator, Yosuke noticed Yu’s eyes were trained on the screen indicating what floor they were on. Right as they reached the floor of the food court, Yu clamped his hands over Yosuke’s eyes as the doors opened.

“Ack..! Hey, what’s the big idea?!”

“Shh. Just let me guide you.”

“B-But..!” Yosuke started to protest as he felt himself being ushered forward out of the elevator.

“Trust me,” he murmured. Something about the way he said it sent tingles up and down Yosuke’s spine. He’d either spent way too long taking orders from this guy, or he had some kind of supernatural force that compelled others to do as he said. Whatever the case, Yosuke found the protest leaving his body as Yu gently walked him forward, using his body to push him while he kept his hands firmly clamped over the other’s eyes. Yosuke was doing his best to  _ not  _ pay attention to the fact he was so close. Not being able to see really made it so he could feel every inch of himself that was making contact with his partner.

“If you run me into a— woah..! —table, I’m gonna give you hell,” the chestnut haired boy resigned with a grumble, raising his hands in defeat.

“I wasn’t going to do that. But thanks for the idea.”

“I— smartass…”

Yu let out a quiet chuckle, one that Yosuke could hear much better since he was so close to him. To hear him laugh was a treat in itself since he so seldom did it; perhaps it was okay that everyone forgot his birthday. At least he had the afternoon with his best friend.

“Okay. We’re here now.” Yu pulled his hands away and stepped back, allowing Yosuke to open his eyes and cringe as the harsh overhead fluorescent lights blinded him for a second. Blinking it away, what he saw before him made him stand there with his mouth agape and words stuck in his throat.

“Surprise!” came the collective shout of the entire investigation team: Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, Naoto, Teddie, and Yu from behind him. They’d pushed together a few tables from the food court and decorated them with streamers. There was also a cake— it looked homemade— on the table along with a few presents.

“Sorry to keep this in the dark. We were just keeping this party a secret so we could surprise you,” Yu explained as he moved to stand beside Yosuke.

“...Did you plan this, partner…?”

“Everyone did together. I just told them when your birthday was, that’s all.”

Yosuke looked between Yu and his friends, a smile creeping onto his face as he processed what was happening around him. Nobody forgot. No, of course they wouldn’t. They were his friends, after all! He felt silly for having doubted them.

“Even Teddie was in on this…?”

“Of course! This party’s gonna be bearrific, Yosuke!” the hyperactive blonde exclaimed.

“We were a little worried he’d tell you, but he promised he wouldn’t,” Yu chuckled. “‘Bear’s honor’ he said.”

“Hah… wow… I don’t even know what to say.” A sheepish chuckle soon turned into a hearty laugh, which caused everyone else to laugh along with him. Yu’s hand found the small of Yosuke’s back, gently pulling him into a slight side hug. “Thanks, Partner.”

“Hey, we helped make this happen too!” Chie barked, chucking a party hat at him.

“Agh..! Geez, you could poke an eye out with that…! Yeah, yeah, you guys too…!” Yosuke wined, feigning annoyance. The smile on his face said it all though.


	3. Feeling the Wind

“Ugh, I thought I was going to pass out from boredom today,” Yosuke groaned as he walked. “Thanks for saving my ass again, partner.”

“You ought to start paying more attention…” Yu began to calmly lecture. Yosuke let out a sigh as he readied himself for another ‘what are you going to do next year when I can’t whisper you the answers’ talk, but was surprised when his studious friend shot him a sideways look and added, “But you’re right. It was pretty boring today.”

“So even you have a weakness huh?” the Junes prince teased, elbowing Yu in the side.

“It’s not like I never get bored in school. I just don’t stop paying attention.”

“I wish I could do that,” Yosuke sighed.

“It’s all about self discipline.”

“Ugh. You sound like my dad.”

“Hm.”

The pair were walking home together as they usually did. Today Yosuke didn’t have to work so Yu invited him over to hang out after school. It was nice out— sunny, hardly a cloud in the sky, and a decently strong breeze that kept the day’s heat in check. Said breeze kept blowing Yosuke’s hair into his eyes, which was starting to get annoying. How his best friend tolerated having his bangs constantly in his eyes, he had no idea.

“Maybe you ought to get a clip to keep your hair out of your eyes,” Yu offered as he watched Yosuke fight with his hair.

“Ehh, I dunno. It’s only a pain on windy days… Maybe I’m due for a haircut soon,” the other boy mused as he brushed a copper tuft back into place.

As if to mock him, a particularly strong gust of wind messed up the work Yosuke had just done, turning his hair into a wild mess. Yu smoothed his own silver locks down before looking over at a very defeated Yosuke. His shoulders were slumped and his brows furrowed. 

“Are you freakin’ kidding me right now?!” he groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “I’m done.”

“Ironic, since your persona’s powers are of the wind element,” Yu chuckled and stopped walking, turning to face him.

“Gimmie a break dude…” Yosuke huffed. Noticing Yu stopped, he blinked and turned around. “What?”

“...Can I fix your hair?”

“What kinda question is that?!” he asked with a squawk, feeling heat flood his face at the suggestion.

“The kind where I asked if I could fix your hair?” he countered. “I have some barrettes in my pocket from when I helped Nanako with her hair this morning. She won’t mind if you borrow them.”

“Seriously dude?”

The look on Yu’s face showed he was quite serious. Yosuke didn’t have it in him to argue, when Yu wanted to do something he had a way of talking Yosuke into it. They would be back at the Dojima house soon anyways. Resigning to his fate, Yosuke shrugged and sighed, “Fine.”

Hands long roughed over from endless hours of swinging swords down on the heads of shadows gently combed through a sea of copper hair, smoothing it down and brushing it out of Yosuke’s eyes. With a soft hum, Yu fetched two barrettes from his pocket and clipped Yosuke’s bangs back to keep them from falling in his face again. He found himself unable to stop those same hands from gliding through his hair more for no other reason than to feel it between his fingers.

“Your hair is soft, Yosuke.”

“Er, thanks? It’s not like I really put any product in it or anything, it just kinda does what it wants… W-Why are you petting me?!”

“Feels nice.”

Suddenly feeling hot despite the breeze, Yosuke jumped away and wheezed. “Geez dude, you’re a weirdo.”

“Am I now?” Yu asked in a fake-contemplative tone. “Did the barrettes work?”

“I-I guess so. Thanks, partner.” Yosuke wouldn’t admit it, but it had felt kinda nice to have his hair played with. “Geez..” he murmured under his breath as they resumed their walk, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.


	4. Rainy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Slides this in literally at 11:59 PM and collapses*
> 
> Unbetad because I am speed running this fic to get it posted in time BUT angst warning!! It gets better at the end uwu

It had been a day, to say the least. Yu had felt out of it from the moment his alarm woke him up that morning. It seemed the weather agreed with his mood, because the dark, cloudy sky gave birth to a torrent of rain that started around lunchtime and had yet to let up. The weird feeling distracted him during class, causing him to space out and incorrectly answer a question which had the whole class chattering under their breaths about how surprising that was.

He hadn’t had time to make himself lunch the night prior either, so he was left without a meal whilst everyone else was dining on their bento boxes and other foods brought from home. That was fine, he wasn’t particularly hungry anyway. Yosuke offered to share his bean bun that he’d brought with him, but Yu declined. Rain began to pitter against the windows, so he chose to spend most of the lunch period watching it.

“You okay partner?” Yosuke asked, concern clear in his voice. “You seem down.”

“Yeah, I’m just not feeling well. Didn’t get much sleep last night,” Yu replied vaguely.

“You always work your ass off, maybe it’s finally caught up to you. You should take it easy after school.”

“Mm… I’ll probably head straight home.” It was true that he had slept poorly the night prior, and while that definitely wasn’t doing Yu any favors, that wasn’t what had him feeling this way. No, it was the fact that he had a secret he was keeping. He’d resolved to finally come clean about it today, but the thought of rejection was too much. He lacked the courage.

Yu Narukami’s secret was rather life altering. He was in love with his best friend. With Yosuke. And it was only getting harder to hide and pretend it wasn’t happening. That’s why he’d originally resolved to confess, to finally get it off his chest, but his anxiety got the better of him. He didn’t want to lose his best friend, the first friend he’d made in Inaba and the one who stuck by him through thick and thin. The boy with a big heart, even if he said and did stupid things sometimes. He was like a light, one so bright it could even pierce the storm clouds that surrounded Yu’s heart. If he lost him, he’d no doubt lose himself too. That just couldn’t happen. He couldn’t picture a life without his dear Inaba friends, and certainly not one where Yosuke resented him for how he felt. There was just too much to lose.

School seemed to last a hundred hours after that. Yu had never wanted to leave faster, but at the same time it was still pouring outside and he didn’t have an umbrella. It looked like he’d have to hang around until it lightened up. That was fine, he could just go read in the library. Standing up to leave, he turned around only to feel a hand grab his shoulder.

“Partner! It’s raining pretty hard out there, you got an umbrella?”

“..I don’t, but it’s fine. I have a club meeting today so I can wait it out anyways,” he murmured, refusing to look Yosuke in the eye. It didn’t feel good lying to him, but looking at him only reminded him of what a coward he was. If Yosuke had offered to walk him home, he’d be done for.

“Ah, alright. See you tomorrow then.” The Junes prince patted his shoulder before walking past him and making his departure. 

Once Yosuke was gone, Yu gathered up his things and took his own leave. As planned, he spent time in the library catching up on everything he hadn’t paid much attention to. After a while though it seemed like the rain didn’t plan on letting up anytime soon. Well, that was fine. It’s not like water would hurt him. He’d just have to keep his backpack safe and wring out his school clothes at home. Hopefully they’d dry overnight. Clutching the backpack to his chest, Yu disembarked into the spring rains.

This was miserable. Water was now seeping into Yu’s socks. The rest of him was drenched aside from his backpack, which he was hunched over and protecting from getting, well,  _ too _ wet. At the riverbank, Yu paused to look out at the water. Rain was surprisingly good weather for fishing, though he didn’t have the proper equipment with him to do so.

He did enjoy this place though, so he decided perhaps it would calm his mind to spend some time there. He was already soaked to the bone so it’s not like it mattered anyways, right? Maybe the rain could wash his feelings away. Sitting down on the stairs, he hugged his backpack as he brought his knees to his chest, folding his arms over them and resting his chin on them so he could watch the scenery.

Before he knew it, over an hour had passed of him just sitting there in the rain. He was cold and sad but he couldn’t will himself to go home just yet. Closing his eyes, Yu buried his face into his arms and let out deep breath. He became so immersed in his calming breathing techniques he’d picked up, he almost didn’t notice when the rain suddenly stopped hitting his head, shoulders and back. He looked up in confusion, as it was definitely still raining. Above him was an orange umbrella, said umbrella being held up by… Yosuke? Before he could even react, he was already talking.

“The hell are you doing out here? You’re gonna catch a cold.”

“Yeah, I know,” Yu sighed. “Why’re you..?”

“Was coming back from my shift and I see someone sitting on the stairs looking pretty miserable. Turns out that someone was you.” Without even skipping a beat, Yosuke sat down next to him despite the ground being wet. “And so you know… I know there’s no club on rainy days. Did you forget I’m friends with Kou and Daisuke?”

“...Sorry,” was all he could offer.

“Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

“Nothing, really.”

“You expect me to believe you’re just sitting out here in the rain looking like you just got dumped for the hell of it? You’re a weird guy but you aren’t that weird.”

“Yosuke…”

“C’mon. We’re partners. If you really don’t want to talk about it, I won’t make you, but you can tell me anything. I hope you know that.”

Yu swallowed hard and averted his gaze back down to the ground, as if the puddle in front of him was somehow much more interesting. “You don’t want to know.”

“Why..? Quit being cryptic. We literally solved a murder case and fought a god, you really think I can’t handle whatever it is that’s on your mind?”

“I don’t know,” Yu started. “I just don’t want you to hate me. It’s not how I want to leave Inaba.”

“If you really think I’d hate you, you’re a dumbass. Seriously…” Yosuke grumbled. “I feel like punching you.”

Silence settled over them for a moment as Yu calculated his words. He stood up, pushing the umbrella aside and turning away from Yosuke. The brunette opened his mouth to chastise him, but then he saw that Yu was shaking.

“Dude…” Yosuke stood up and reached out a hand, placing it on his partner’s shoulder. He didn’t care that he was now getting rained on. “Please look at me.” The only time he’d ever seen him so distressed was back when Nanako was hospitalized in the winter. Gently tugging to encourage Yu to turn around, he was surprised when he didn’t fight it.

His heart sank when he saw Yu’s face. There were tears trickling down his face, intermixing with the raindrops that fell from above. “I’m sorry Yosuke. I’m really sorry.”

“Please tell me what’s going on… please, Yu,” he practically begged.

Yu swallowed hard and took in a deep breath. He couldn’t run from this, Yosuke wouldn’t let him and he didn’t deserve it. The concern plastered all over his face made him want to scream. He never wanted to see him look distraught like that. Never again. “...I already know your answer, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Yu.”

“I.. like you, Yosuke. That’s not a good enough word to describe it, even. No, I… I went and… I went and fell in love with you! I’m sorry.” With it finally out in the air, Yu almost felt a sense of relief. He was mostly terrified, but he already knew what was to come, didn’t he?

Well that was certainly a shock. Yosuke couldn’t hide the surprise on his face at what he had just been told. Yu started to babble, saying he knew Yosuke didn’t like boys and he didn’t want to ruin their friendship, but he cut him off before he could finish. “Yu. Partner.” His expression softened. “I’ve been a real dumbass, haven’t I?”

“Huh?”

“Look… I know I’ve acted like an ass about it in the past, but… I’m not that guy anymore. I spent a long time trying to give the people here no other reasons to hate me besides the whole Junes thing. And I spent a lot of time hiding from myself, even after I faced my shadow. But now, with Susano-o here…” he paused as he put his other hand on his heart. “I’ve come to terms with a lot of my insecurities. And well I… hah, can’t say I was expecting to do this  _ now _ , but… Partner, you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I don’t understand why you’d ever be interested in me, especially like this… but I’m not upset. I-I’m glad, really!”

“What are you saying, exactly..?”

“I’m rambling, sorry. I wasn’t prepared to do this.” Yosuke stepped forward and pulled Yu into a hug, squeezing him tight for just a moment as if to give himself extra strength before pulling back just enough to look at him and confess, “What I’m trying to say is that I like you too. L-Like  _ that,  _ yeah.”

His brain felt like mush. Whatever words Yu wanted to say were lodged in his throat, so all he could manage was a quiet, “really..?”

“Wh—  _ yeah _ , really?? You think I’d lie about this?!”

“N-No, no, I’m just… I wasn’t expecting…” he stammered.

“Yeah, well… I’m telling you the truth, so…” Trailing off, Yosuke reached up and brushed Yu’s slicked down hair out of his eyes so he could get a proper look at him. “Can I get you out of this rain before you catch a cold?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Retrieving the umbrella from where it lay discarded and collecting water, Yosuke insisted he walk Yu home. They both shared the umbrella despite now being soaking wet, if only out of habit. There were a lot of things they had to talk about for sure, but they’d get there in their own time. If they spent the walk home with their hands threaded together well, that was fine too.


	5. Snowball Fights and Partner Business

It was still surprising how much snow Inaba got in the winter. Being from the city, both Yu and Yosuke never experienced snow like this. Maybe that’s why while everyone else was holed up in their homes waiting for the snow to melt, the two partners were running around like children at the riverbank.

Yu was bundled up in his dark grey coat and grey scarf that he of course looked great in, while Yosuke had his white and orange coat with a fur hood. The monochrome-dressed boy was hard at work building a snowman while his partner laid in the snow with his limbs spread out wide to make a snow angel.

Deciding he was taking way too long on some dumb snowman, Yosuke sat up without a word. He silently wadded up some snow in his hand while watching Yu to make sure he didn’t notice. He looked peaceful, almost too peaceful to peg with a snowball.  _ Almost. _

The snowball whizzed through the air, connecting with a hard  _ splat  _ against Yu’s back. The normally stoic leader let out a yelp in surprise, whipping his head around to see Yosuke laughing his ass off on the ground. “Got you, dude!”

A moment of silence passed.

“This means war,” came the declaration of Yu.

Almost like a western-style showdown, the two stared at each other for a moment before they both rushed to grab snow and get to their feet. There were snowballs flying through the air, accompanied by a symphony of crunching snow beneath their shoes, yelps as snowballs made impact, and shouts of amusement.

Unfortunately for the silver haired teen, Yosuke was the most agile of their group and ended up dodging a good amount of the snowballs thrown at him. They were both left panting before Yu held up a hand and lowered his head. “I admit defeat. I can’t feel my fingers or my face anymore.”

“I’m the leader of the investigation team now!” Yosuke declared before tromping over to Yu. “Geez, you are looking a little cold aren’t you?”

“I didn’t dress heavily enough to be assaulted with snowballs. I think some snow went down the back of my coat,” Yu retorted before shivering a little. His cheeks and nose were red, a strange sight for him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to go overboard.”

“No, no, it was fun. I’ve never had a snowball fight before.” Yu pulled off his now soaking wet gloves and blew into his hands in an attempt to warm them up. “I may have lost this time but I’ll be prepared next time.”

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try.” Without thinking, Yosuke reached out and took Yu’s wrists, pulling his hands close and breathing on them in an attempt to warm them up. Yu blushed at the absurd but cute gesture.

“Warming up my hands for me?”

“Y-Yeah. Don’t be weird about it or I’ll stop,” Yosuke grumbled, feeling himself heat up.

“Mm… I think it would feel even better if…” Before he finished his sentence, he slipped his hands out of Yosuke’s grip and shoved them up the bottom of his coat, pressing his ice-cold fingers against Yosuke’s warm stomach. This in turn caused him to yelp and try to get away, but Yu wouldn’t let him. His hands snaked around and grabbed him at the waist, pulling him close.

“Dude that is literally  _ so  _ cold I’m pretty sure I just felt my balls retract into my stomach! Let go!”

“You have such a way with words,” Yu hummed whimsically, fake-batting his eyelashes just to tease his partner.

“It’s like you _want_ me to stuff snow down your coat,” Yosuke huffed.

“Try it and these hands are going down your pants.”

The Junes prince shuddered at the thought. “Touché.”

“Glad we could reach this agreement, Hanamura.”

“Why are we talking formally now, Narukami?”

“I’m here on strict partner business.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Yu likes to start this bit when he wants Yosuke to kiss him. Granted, it was embarrassing and Yosuke was still new to this whole  _ partner _ -partner thing, but he couldn’t say no to that. It was Yu’s way of discreetly asking, which he did appreciate. With an amused sigh, Yosuke leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “That satisfy the contract?”

“...I actually can’t feel my lips.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but snort and shake his head. “Honestly, me neither. How about we head inside and warm up?”

“I can cook something warm. How about… curry? Or maybe a potato soup? I wonder if I have all the ingredients for that…”

“Whatever you make, partner, it’ll be delicious.”

The trek back to the Dojima household was spent holding hands and talking about the best foods to eat to warm up. They were both cold and soaking wet, and yet, they both felt warm.


	6. Scent of Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dumb ass really wrote over 1000 words of Yosuke Hanamura smelling a shirt?? Wild  
> Unbetad because I am tired man

It had been a few months since Yu returned back to the big city. While Yosuke still had everyone else back in Inaba, it was hard getting used to things without him. It seemed like everyone was adjusting too, though they seldom talked about it because it was always a mood dampener. Though their silver haired leader did his best to keep in touch, once school started back up it wasn’t uncommon to not hear from him for days. Everyone was busy after all.

He missed their walks home together after school, even the times Yosuke would go over to his place to study. Of course, it sucked not getting to eat his home cooked lunches too, but that's besides the point. Everything just seemed better at his side, like they could get through anything. Hell, they’d overcome obstacles that no one else could even fathom. The bond you develop when you go through ordeals like that, it’s special.

It wasn’t uncommon for Yosuke to reminisce when he really missed Yu. He’d go through his room and fiddle with anything that reminded him of his partner, whether that be the CD he gifted him for Christmas or the bundle of orange paper cranes he snuck into his backpack one day. It made it feel like he was still around.

The item that had come to be Yosuke’s  _ favorite _ was a t-shirt that Yu had left at his house after a sleepover. The shirt itself was atrocious, having a cat plastered on it saying ‘meow’ in a bunch of different languages. It was a lounge shirt that he’d slept in and accidentally forgotten. Yosuke kept forgetting to give it back until it was too late and Yu was gone. He teased that he left it on purpose so that he had an excuse to come back to Inaba.

The story of the shirt didn’t matter as much to Yosuke as did a certain property that he was embarrassed to admit. It  _ smelled _ like Yu. It was like a mix of his soap and laundry detergent, but mostly something distinctly  _ Yu.  _ It was a gentle, clean scent, just like him as a person.

This particular evening boasted a thunderstorm, causing Yosuke to be cooped up inside. He didn’t mind rain, but thunderstorms freaked him out a little. Especially due to his time battling in the shadow world, where his weakness was electricity. Having been knocked out by many Zio attacks, he had developed some sort of outlandish worry that he would get struck by lightning.

This left him with an uneasy heart and a lack of company to keep his mind off it. That’s why his mind wandered to Yu. It was silly, but something in him desperately wanted that shirt to help calm him down. And he wanted to feel like Yu was there.

Yosuke got up from his seat at his desk to retrieve the shirt in question. He kept it on top of the shelf that housed his CDs and other music paraphernalia, neatly folded and ready to return to its owner. He retrieved it and locked his door, as it would be really hard to explain why he was laying with his best friend’s shirt if Teddie or his parents came in. He felt ashamed about it, but lots of people have clothes that smell like their significant other when they’re away, don’t they?

_ Not that Yu was his…! He wasn’t— no, no, it’s not like that! It’s… Oh, who is he kidding?  _ Yosuke battled this demon for a long time. He just can’t deny the special bond he and his partner have anymore. And how he makes him feel. So, when he sat down on his bed and buried his face in Yu’s shirt, he felt a warmth spread over him as he took in the smell of his partner. The scent had faded quite a bit with time as the fabric of the shirt absorbed the smell of Yosuke’s room, but it was still there, if only faintly.

He ended up falling asleep with that shirt, as it had put him at enough ease to block out the sound of the thunder roaring in the distance.

When Yu finally returned to Inaba on holiday, the shirt had lost its smell. Yosuke was  _ almost  _ reluctant to give it back since he’d grown some sort of weird attachment to it, but it’s not like it smelled like him anymore and he certainly wouldn’t wear something like it. Of course, Yu was thrilled to be reunited with his tacky cat shirt, thanking Yosuke for holding onto it.

He immediately took off the shirt he had been wearing, causing Yosuke to sputter before putting the cat shirt on. “This one’s comfy. Hm… it’s been here so long it smells like you. Have you been wearing it for me?”

“What?! No way, dude..!” he wheezed, shaking his head profusely.

Yu hummed, a small, faraway smile forming on his face. He was plotting.

“What? What’s that look for?”

“Thinking about you in my cat shirts.”

“Why!!!”

He said nothing, choosing to shrug before tossing him the shirt he had been wearing.

“Stop throwing your laundry at me!”

“It’s not. I’m leaving this one with you… so I have an excuse to come back again.”

“Or you can just come back because you care about your friends.”

“Well, that too… but I like knowing there’s a piece of me still here.”

“I… guess that makes sense?”

“Take care of it for me.”

“Sure, whatever you weirdo,” Yosuke replied with a wave of his hand. Secretly though, he was glad to have a new shirt of Yu’s. Did he… know?

“But to make up for the missing spot in my wardrobe I think I’m going to need one of your shirts to replace it.” He knew there was a chance Yosuke would find the request absurd, but he could play it off as a joke if he had a poor reaction. To his surprise, he watched the other boy’s face flush pink before he opened up his closet and began to rummage for a shirt to give him.

“I guess that’s fair…”

“Mm… how about the one with the birds on it?”

“Wha?! That’s like, my favorite shirt! I need that!”

The shirt shenanigans continued for multiple visits from Yu before the truth finally came out. That soon developed into a relationship, all because of a stupid cat shirt. And that stupid cat shirt was now Yosuke’s favorite. 


	7. Guide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank to @sparklinglemons for suggesting the premise of this fic!

The shadow world was a strange place. Not just because one could access it via the TV, nor because it is the home of countless shadow monsters. The design of the place itself was interesting, like a twisted film set pumped full of fog. Where did that fog come from anyway? Teddie’s special glasses were essential when inside the TV. Without them, it was hard to see your own hand in front of you due to the thick yellow haze that blanketed everything. This made those glasses very precious items indeed.

So when Yosuke got smacked super hard by an enemy attack that his glasses broke into small little pieces, he panicked. He and Yu had been out doing some extra training when they stumbled across a rare and very powerful shadow. The battle had been going fine until it started using abilities to increase its attack power. After that, each lash and punch was a lot harder to get back up from. A particular attack hit Yosuke before he could even dodge, and right in the face. With his glasses now gone, he couldn’t see the enemy or it’s attacks.

“Yu! My glasses!” Yosuke shouted, eyes darting around frantically. “I can’t see shit!”

“Yosuke!” Yu cried and rushed in front of him, blocking a blow that was directly coming for him from the sound of it.

“Ugh… sorry I was so useless for that fight, partner,” Yosuke apologized once Yu defeated the enemy.

“It’s not your fault. Let’s get back so Teddie can replace yours. I think we’ve trained enough for today.”

“Yeah… only problem is, I can’t even see the ground in front of me. I don’t know where to go or where the enemies are… oh god.”

“I’m going to lead you out,” Yu informed him before standing right next to him so that he could at least be faintly seen. He offered a hand to help Yosuke up, which he accepted. But, even after he pulled him to his feet, he did not let go.

“Um… partner?”

“This is the easiest way for us to stay together. I don’t want us to get separated by accident.”

“Right… okay.” That was simple, wasn’t it? So why was Yosuke’s heart pounding so hard? Yu’s hand was rough but strong from all his sword fighting. And also surprisingly warm, aside from his fingertips which were cold. Why was he thinking about this so hard??

Yu began leading him, warning Yosuke whenever there was uneven ground or they needed to take a turn. They ended up getting closer and closer together until they were flush at each other’s sides, which had Yosuke seeing stars.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah! It’s just a little weird not being able to see out here, that’s all…” Yosuke lied.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Yu affirmed.

“T-Thanks.”

Honestly, it felt… nice to hold Yu’s hand. So nice that it was making Yosuke have an internal crisis. Did Yu feel the same? No way, this wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. He was just leading him back, that’s all. Nothing about his tone suggested he was feeling anything out of the ordinary.

That’s what Yosuke  _ thought  _ anyway. However, when they finally made it out of the fog and reached the stage that served as their base and starting point, Yosuke could finally see his face again. He was  _ blushing.  _ Honestly, he’d never seen so much color in his partner’s face before. What was supposed to be just a glance caught Yu’s eye, causing them to stare at each other while still holding hands.

“Y-You alright there, partner?” Yosuke asked to break the tension.

“Mm… yeah. Sorry,” he murmured and let go, readjusting his glasses out of nervous habit. “I’m a little out of it after that last battle.”

Why did his hand feel so empty now? It didn’t feel right. Building up some courage, Yosuke reached out and took hold of Yu’s hand once more. He looked surprised, eyes silently asking him for some sort of explanation.

“I still can’t see… don’t want to get lost, you know?” he offered even though it was a very obvious lie.

“Ah. Well, don’t worry…” Yu gave his hand a small squeeze. “I’ll just have to keep leading you until we make it home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s all for souyo week 2020! Apologies since these ficlets weren’t the greatest, I’m a busy lad but I wanted to contribute since I love these boys so much. Thanks for reading!!


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